Usually with an extra 15 metres or so, invaluable in the wet conditions.
The Suns have learnt fast this year that adjustments to the blonde youngster's training regime help to get the best out of him.
Just prior to 2012, McKenzie was dogged with a knee injury that cost him much of last year's pre-season.
But knowing his value to the team, and desperate for him to play, the Suns rushed him back in round two with an extremely limited build-up.
The results were not good.
McKenzie looked slow, unfit and battled his way through much of the year.
The kid that burst onto the scene in 2011 with the rocket-launcher left boot was just a shell of himself.
While he found some form late in the season, the troublesome knee continued to dog McKenzie.
This year Suns decided to take a more cautious approach.
With new physical performance manager Stephen Schwerdt calling the shots, McKenzie was forced to play four matches in the reserves to start his 2013 season.
He returned to the seniors in round five against Greater Western Sydney, and the ensuing results have been extremely encouraging for Guy McKenna's emerging side.
In seven matches McKenzie has averaged 21 disposals, is running better, kicking better and generally having a bigger influence on contests.
He was comfortably in the Suns' best three players in the win against North Melbourne.
Development coach Andy Lovell said Gold Coast had learnt from last year's error and made a conscious effort to take more time with McKenzie.
"We felt like last year we rushed him back into the team at his expense and also at the team's expense in the end," Lovell said.
"In hindsight he wasn't ready to step up to the intensity of senior footy.
"We didn't want that to happen again this year so we made him get some conditioning in the NEAFL and he's been able to come in fit and impact games better."
Another factor helping McKenzie's impact is his work off-field.
The 21-year-old is one of the most laid-back players at the club, but it's a trait that has often filtered into his preparation.
He was even suspended for a match last season for turning up late to a team recovery session.
Despite having good natural speed, he is regularly at the tail end of any endurance work and has had his work ethic questioned.
"What we've found with him is game day he's a really competitive beast. He works really hard game day when the situation demands it," Lovell said.
"What he's learning to do a lot better now is train his body and mind during the pre-season and week to perform at a high intensity.
"Game day he competes really hard, but by his own admission didn't consistently train at a high enough intensity, but we think he's really growing in that area and he's learning from the mistakes he made early.
"He does give the impression he's pretty cool and laid back, but underneath that exterior he's really self-driven and wants to perform at an elite level."
Michael Whiting covers Gold Coast news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_mikewhiting
